I work in registration at Good Samaritan in Mt. Vernon, IL. Recently, I was working in the Emergency Department where Lindsey O'Dell was working that day as an RN and had a young patient whom she was working with. She had to start an IV on the young child and the child was very anxious about the procedure. Lindsey told the patient that she would not do anything without letting them know what was happening first. The young patient kept asking Lindsey if she was going to do it yet and Lindsey very patiently reminded the child each time that she would tell them when she was going to start the procedure. The child was so relaxed and comfortable with the procedure that they did not even make a sound when the needle was in. In the end, the child was more interested in what was happening than the pain connected with inserting the needle.
When I went to register the patient, they had to show me their dolly. The child was so proud of the dolly because the doll had also been brave. I looked at the doll and laughed, the doll had an IV on its arm, too.
I feel that Lindsey is a very awesome nurse and person. She took the extra time and went the extra mile to make this young patient's experience with Good Samaritan Hospital a good one. This will affect the patient for the rest of their life and it will also affect all of their future hospital experiences. Lindsey is an example of an extraordinary and caring nurse.